Open Access

ARTICLE

Thermocapillary Effects in Systems with Variable Liquid Mass Exposed to Concentrated Heating

by M.El-Gammal¹, J.M.Floryan¹

1 Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N5A 5B9, Canada

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2006, 2(1), 17-26. https://doi.org/10.3970/fdmp.2006.002.017

Abstract

Interface deformation and thermocapillary rupture in a cavity with free upper surface subject to concentrated heating from above is investigated. The dynamics of the process is modulated by placing different amounts of liquid in the cavity. The results determined for large Biot and zero Marangoni numbers show the existence of limit points beyond which steady, continuous interface cannot exist and processes leading to the interface rupture develop. Evolution of the limit point as a function of the mass of the liquid is investigated. The topology of the flow field is found to be qualitatively similar, regardless of whether the cavity is over-filled or only partially filled. The available results demonstrate that cavity over-filling is an effective strategy for prevention of interface rupture, but only when the flow Reynolds number is small. This strategy becomes completely ineffective for high enough Re and deep enough liquid. Cavity over-filling can thus be used as a tool for prevention of rupture, but only under restrictive range of parameters.

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